Reel of sheet material



E. P. FLYNN.

REEL 0F SHEET MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.29, 1919.

1,377, 1 54, Patented May 3, 1921.

A TTORNE YS.

EDWARD P. FLYNN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REEL OF SHEET MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented m a, 1921.

Application filed September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,138.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. FLYNN, a

\citizen of the United States of America, re-

sidingat Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reels of .Sheet Material," of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

peras are furnished for use in commercial copying cameras.

The object of my invention is to provide a simpler structure for such reels, to provide a reel that will be inexpensive to manufacture both in material and labor; and the spool portion of which will occupy very 11ttle room, so that it can be shipped in a very small compass; other objects will appear in the description hereinafter.

It has hitherto been customary to manufacture large and expensive spools, consisting of core and flange members, upon which longstrips of sensitized paper or other'material were Wound. I have discovered that these reels retain their shape under all conditions which they customarily undergo, if, instead of such spools, flanged hubs only are applied to the ends of cylindrical rolls of the i one end completed and the other ina partly finished condition;

paper. i

Reference will now bemade to the accom-l panying drawing in which: Figure 1 represents one component of my flange member;

Fig. 2 represents a second component thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a-cylln- .drical block forming a hub;

' Fig. 4 is a sectionalview of a reelwith Fig. 5 is a sectional vi w of the assembled fiange member, befor being used.

The same referencecharacters refer to the same parts on the several figures.

vAn annulus 1 of sheet metal is struck out, the dimensions being so chosen that the diameter will be slightly larger than that of the roll of paper with which it is to be used, and the'diameter ofthe central aperturev 2 will be of the same size as that. of the bore plug 10 is placed coaxial of the roll. There is also prepared by any sultable means a flat circular piece of flexible material, such as a good quality waterproof cardboard, this element being designated as a whole by 3. This has a small central aperture 4 from which extend radial cuts 14, which extend at least to pointson a circle 5, of the same size as 2. Member 3 is now placedon annulus 1, the position of its periphery being indicated on Fig. 2 by the dotted line 6, upon which line the edge of the annulus 1 is bent to form a flange 7 fitting tightly over the edge of the element 3- to hold the two components firmly together. There has now been manufactured an article A which may be shipped to the point at which the reels are to be assembled and which may be made by novelty manufacturers and shipped and sold to manufacturers of paper or other sheet material, particularly such material as is handled in large rolls or spools.

The sheet of material is wound on anysuitable mandrel or core into a cylindrical roll 8 having a central bore 9. A cylindrical plug or block 10 of any suitable material having a diameter to fit snugly Within the bore is then provided. One of the articles A is now taken and placed coaxially with the roll 8 with the metal side against one end thereof, the aperture 2 registering with bore 9. The

y of article A and the roll 8 and forced within the same, thus forcingthe tabs 11, formed between'the radial cuts 14, in to the bore.- On the left end of Fig. 4 the plug 10 is shown as driven; in

suificiently to bend the tabs partially and at the right end itis shown as driven home with the tabs driven tightly against the inner surface of the roll of material. Asfnoted above, the dimensions are so chosen that considerable force is necessary for this operation. The plug is tightly held by the metal annulus and the roll is held tightly against the compressed tabs.

The plugs 10 are provided with axial holes 12, so that the roll as a whole may be placed on any suitable shaft, gudgeons or 'pivotal support. In certainforms of com-' mercial copying cameras, the reels instead of being supported axially are supported by the edges of the flanges, which engage suitably grooved rollers. The rounded over alone.

edges 7 of the flanges herein described render the finished reel capable of use in the same way, as they constitute rounded bearing edges. The reel as thus completed is indistinguishable in looks and in use from a reel containing. a complete spool. It is thus made up .by the manufacturer of paper or other material and shipped in any suitable container tothe trade, and is placed by the user upon a suitable pivotal support as required for its intended purpose.

When the supply of paper is exhausted, there is nothing left but the two flanged hubs. These by themselves constitute articles that may be made and shipped. They may be returned by the user to the manufacturer for use again, either by winding paper upon them in their assembled condition or by taking them down and reassembling them with the roll as before. Each flanged hub as a unit comprises two portions, a flange portion which consists of the metal annulus 1 and the annular portion 13 of flexible material which are held tightly together by the crimp or fold 7, and a hub portion consisting of the plug 10 and the tabs 11 extending from the flange portion. The metal annulus furnishes the stiffness necessary to the flange and the flexible material is suitable for bending and compressing to accomplish the necessary functions.

It is to be understood that the specific materials mentioned are not essential and that I contemplate as within the scope of my invention t e substitution of all suitable equivalents in material and structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. An article of manufacture comprising only a sheet of material in the form, of a tight roll with a hollow center and two flanged hubs, one at each end of the roll, each hub comprising a flange contacting an end of the roll, tabs extending within the roll and a cylindrical block within said tabs, the cylindrical surface of the block having frictionalcontact with the tabs throughout their length and the blocks, tabs and roll being held in, assembled position by friction 2. A coreless spool comprising a roll of sheet material supported at its ends only, and there supported by flanged hubs comprising disks with struck out extensions within the roll and cylindrical blocks fitting within such extensions throughout their length, the roll, extensions and blocks being ,held assembled by friction alone.

annulus, and having tabs extending from its inner edge into close engagement with the interior of the hollow roll and a cylindrical block within said extensions and in close engagement therewith. 4. An article of manufacture comprising spaced coaxial flanged hub members and a hollow roll of material, each hub member comprising a metallic annulus, an annulus of flexible material coextensive with the metallic annulus and having tabs extending through the central aperture of the metallic annulus, and cylindrical blocks fitting tightly within the annular members, the outer edge of the metal member being turned over on the flexible material to engage and hold the same in position, the blocks and the tabs together forming hubs that fit tightly within the ends of the hollow 'roll, and the two annular members forming flanges-that contact the ends of the roll.

5. As an article of manufacture, two spaced flanged hub members, each comprising an annular flange consisting of stiffening means and an annulus of flexible material with inwardly extending tabs, and a hub portion consisting of said tabs and of a cylindrical block fitting within said tabs and said annulus, and a roll of material fitting tightly around said hub portions, the flange of each hub member contacting the end of the roll.

6. As an article of manufacture, a flanged hub comprising a flange portion consisting of. a stiffening member and a flat piece of flexible material with a central aperture, and a hub portion consisting of a block 'fitging tightly within the flange port-ion.

s an article of manufacture, a sheet metal annulus, an annulus of flexible material coextensive therewith and having integral tabs extending through the central aperture of the metal annulus, and a cylindrical member fitting within said annular members and said tabs,

8. As an articleof manufacture, a sheet metal annulus, an annulus of flexible material coextensive therewith and having integral tabs extending through the central aperture of the metal annulus, and a cylindrical member fitting within said annular members and said tabs, the outer edge of the metal annulus being bent over upon the edge of the flexible material to form a rounded bearing edge.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a sheet metal member with a central aperture and a member of flexible sheet material, the outer edge of the sheet metal member being bent over the outer edge'of the flexible member to hold ,them firmly together, the flexible member having a central aper ture smaller than the central aperture of the metal member and having radial cuts extending from said central aperture at least as far as the edge oi the central aperture in the sheet metal member.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a sheet of material in the form of a hollow roll, annular members contacting the ends of the roll and means frictionally engaging with the interior of the roll near the ends only for holdingsaid members in place, the edges of themembers being rounded to constitute bearing edges.

Signed at Rochester, New York, this 22nd day of September, 1919.

EDWARD P. FLYNN. 

